During the course of travel, both business travelers and tourists traveling by motor vehicle are often in need of information regarding travel routes to their respective destination or destinations, road and weather conditions en route from their present location to their destination. The traveler may also require information concerning food and lodging including restaurant location and hours of operation, lodging facility availability, location, cost, amenities, etc. A tourist may desire information on regional tourist attractions and points of interest. Those traveling by air may desire the aforementioned information as well as information regarding airline schedules and car rental enterprises. For travelers flying into major metropolitan airports, displays are often provided which identify nearby hotels and provide a phone by which the traveler may call a hotel to make or confirm a reservation and to request pick-up by a courtesy car.
Automobile travelers using the interstate road system can often times obtain hotel and/or motel identification and location and other information by means of written material available at rest stops or at the exits of toll roads. Rest areas along some interstates also make information available, usually in the form of pamphlets regarding attractions and other points of interest that are available in the area. Road travelers may also obtain hotel/points of interest information from travel guides published by travel agencies and/or travel clubs. The information contained in these guides, although accurate at the time of publication, may not reflect current conditions nor do they provide any information regarding the availability of accommodations at the lodging facilities listed in the guide. Typically, the traveler must phone each of the hotels to make that determination.